Do aftermarket power cords significantly improve Triton 1?

Dr Mike,

Power cords tend to be a hot topic. I have experimented a little with them and thus far have found modest improvements in sound when connected to my pre-amp and source. The cords I have used are not the largest or most expensive, so there may well be room for improvement. I also have upgraded cords on my amps and T1s as much for cosmetic reasons as any other.

I believe they do make a difference but many factors come into play. In my setup, I have dedicated 20 amp outlets run for each Triton tower. I think this already provides ample clean power. Anyways, that's my opinion based on limited experimentation. I think the one thing we have also agreed on here is to experiment with a brand and supplier that offers a money back guarantee. That would give you 30 days to see for yourself if you can hear the difference and if you like that difference in your system.

Feedback here has been positive on Anti-Cables and Shunyata. I am using Pangea. If you search the forum, we have discussed this topic in depth. Let us know what you decide and how it sounds.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Dr Mike wrote: Do aftermarket power cords significantly improve Triton 1?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: There is a school of thought that says power cords and cables outside of "industry norm" are a type of snake oil. This doesn't mean that certain gains can be realized, however, in my experience the gains would only be measuable, not audiible. So, when you inject the word "significantly", the response has to be no. Check audigon forums as there are a lot of cable (power, speaker, all kinds) threads there.

Thanks, GDHAL. There is definitely a significant amount of snake oil out there and some ridiculously priced cables. I like the 10% rule interns of how much to spend on cables. Even then, I would never consider spending thousands of dollars on a single cable.

That said, I think there is an over reliance on measurements and a lack of understanding how differences are perceived. I recently read an article where tester used aluminum foil for speaker wires. In measuring response, they could not see a significant difference in the signal. They showed the wave forms and I could certainly see a difference. I have to believe I would perceive a difference in sound as well. I believe they noticed a marginal improvement with speaker wire versus the foil. What struck me is how they stated there was not a significant difference in the wave forms. Not only were they different, I'm not sure there are studies to show how these differences are perceived.

I purchased Pangea AC14SE MKII cables for my T1s. The 1 meter version was only $50 each. At normal listening levels, I could not perceive a difference. What I could notice was a bit more dynamics during loud movie passages, specifically in the bass. I conducted my own experiment to see if I could measure what I was hearing. All other things the same, I measured a 4 dB improvement in sound levels during the same dynamic movie passage. Is that significant? I think it's worth $50. Additionally, the cables look better as well. I would have paid that much just for the cosmetic improvement.

Now, I'm not rushing out to publish the results of my experiment. I didn't repeat the test multiple times and my radio shack meter is not good enough to say beyond a doubt the results are valid, but to my ear and my measurements, there was a difference and O am content with that. It's really up to the individual consumer to determine what is significant and what has value (and how much value). I'm happy with the upgrade and plan to try additional reasonably priced cables. YMMV.

Cheers,

T Cobe

You're very welcome T Cobe. I appreciate your well written and informative response. Personally I cant imagine how the different power cable you are using for the Tritons would or even could improve anything, but if you claim you are realizing an improvement that is ultimately what counts. Also, I can't imagine why someone would even "think" of swapping out the power cable supplied by GET. The idea behind purchasing the Triton product is just that, to purchase the Triton product (all included). I've never been one to "question" a manufacturers judgement. I have on occasions provided what I believe to be quality feedback that presumably a manufacturer would consider and implement.

Back to power cables, I think we both agree there is no amperage/capacity issue, therefore, I would think your rationale was rooted in the fact that there is somthing "lost" by using the GET supplied power cable. I'm sorry, I just can't wrap my head around that possibility. If we consider theoretical improvements to block RFI and EMI, even this is virtually impossible to achieve even with scientific equipment, let alone consumer grade products. And yes, 4 db is certainly a substantial "change", but I suppose one could argue (which I am not) that the "changes" you have perceived by swapping out the cables are "imaginary". Have you performed blind A-B testing? A significant number of articles have been written about using blind testing methods in an attempt to prove whether or not a change is "real" or "imagined". There is no evidence I am aware of that concludes in an A-B blind test the person subjected to the test produces consistent results. Further, you state the change was most notable in the bass output. Couldn't you then have used the bass level control on the Triton to achieve the same thing?

All I know is in my situation I do things with cables that are puuu-puuud upon such as running different cables parallel to another, one top of one another, etc. I also know how awesome my system sounds. So if I'm wrong and cables do matter, then I have something to look forward to as eventually I would discover and experience the benefits. Until then, I'm "Grateful" with the enjoyment I get whenever a particular tune strikes that chord in me.

GDHAL,

I believe GET even uses aftermarket power cords at trade shows, so it's not a matter of second guessing them at all. I completely trust their engineers. Honestly, it's as much cosmetic for me as it is about sound. My T1s are within 3 feet from the outlet and I hate a bunch of extra cable laying around. It's just not tidy and years of home theater and building PCs has made me a bit fussy about tidy cable management.

I could turn the gain knob up on my T1s but that would amplify all bass. This was simply an increase in the peak sound level. It was still balanced and there was no difference at normal volumes. Regarding blocking noise, I believe different cable configurations do effect sound and noise. Shielding certainly works. I agree that the benefit of these characteristics are often over stated. Most installations will be just fine with very basic cables. Many of my cables are from Monoprice. All of my XLRs and sub cables are from them. The XLRs seem to be built very well and use a larger gauge wire than many other brands.

I was a skeptic on power cables previously. I've read all the arguments against and they make sense. There certainly is no need for additional current handling above and beyond the cables that come with electronics. I believe much of the size of the cables is a matter of filtering and cosmetics. Let's face it, plugging an 8 gauge power cable into an outlet that is supplied by 12-gauge romex just doesn't make sense if you're expecting more power at the device.

What else can I say other than hearing is believing. That's why I suggest people try this upgrade with cables that offer a free 30 day, no risk trial period. I'm not stating that everyone should upgrade their cables. In many cases, people spend far too much money on cables when the money would be best invested elsewhere. Kind of like putting $10,000 rims on a $2,000 car... Just sharing my experience and opinions.

Cheers,

T Cobe